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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. mug — a face
  3. current — happening now
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. clip — for paper
  7. rock — a stone
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. squash — the sport
  11. current — electric
  12. rock — music
  13. current — of water
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bound — obliged
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bound — tied together
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bound — certain
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. file — a document

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com